This invention relates to medical catheters, and more particularly to suction catheters for safe tracheobronchial and nasopharyngeal suctioning.
Damage caused to the tracheobronchial mucosa by routine suctioning with conventional suction catheters is well documented. U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,604 granted Nov. 19, 1974 to Marvin A. Sackner, discloses a suction catheter which substantially eliminates this damage by preventing the invagination of the mucosa into the end or side holes of the catheter while permitting efficient suctioning thereof. As disclosed in the Sackner patent, this improved suction catheter provides an open distal tip and a plurality of apertures extending through the wall of the catheter proximal to the distal tip. A flange extends laterally from the tube adjacent the apertures between the distal opening and the apertures to maintain the apertures spaced from the walls of the body cavity into which the catheter is inserted to prevent occlusion of the apertures upon application of suction.